January 12, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



41 



report by a committee composed of MM. Jor- 

 dan, Lippmann, Emile Picard, d'Arsonval, 

 Haller, A. Lacroix, Tisserand and Le Chatelier 

 on this question. It is pointed out that all 

 the great industrial nations possess national 

 laboratories of scientific research, systematically 

 directed towards the study of technical prob- 

 lems. The ISTational Physical Laboratory in 

 England, the Bureau of Standards and the 

 Carnegie Institution in the United States, the 

 Physikalische Eeichsanstalt and the institutes 

 founded by the Wilhelm Gesellsehaft in Ger- 

 many are given as examples. France has no 

 corresponding institution, and after a full 

 discussion of the questions of control, staff, 

 and work to be done, the following resolution 

 was unanimously carried: 



The Academy of Sciences, convinced of the ne- 

 cessity of organizing in ITrance, in a systematic 

 manner, certain scientific researches, expresses its 

 wish that a National Physical Laboratory should 

 be started, for the prosecution of scientific re- 

 searches useful to the progress of industry. As in 

 other countries, this laboratory would be placed 

 under the control and direction of the Academy 

 of Sciences. 



On November 27 this question was further 

 considered by the academy, and it was sug- 

 gested that the general direction of the labo- 

 ratory should be entrusted to a council, one 

 half of the members to be nominated by the 

 academy, one quarter representatives of the 

 state departments, and the remaining quarter 

 delegated by the principal industrial interests. 

 Certain existing state laboratories might be 

 affiliated to the national laboratory. A con- 

 siderable grant for establishment and mainte- 

 nance will be necessary. 



DEDICATION OF THE NEW YORK STATE 

 MUSEUM 



Although the New York State Museum at 

 Albany has been open to the public for some 

 months past, it seemed wise to the regents of 

 the university to bring the public into closer 

 touch with the new museum by formal dedi- 

 catory exercises. These took place in the 

 chancellors' hall of the education building at 

 •Albany on the afternoon and evening of Fri- 

 day, December 29. The afternoon exercises 

 consisted of a series of addresses from eminent 



speakers, each representing a special phase of 

 community interest in the museum. The Hon- 

 orable Charles B. Alexander, chairman of the 

 regents committee of the State Museum, pre- 

 sided, and the speakers were President John 

 H. Finley on behalf of the university and the 

 educational system of the state ; Senator Henry 

 M. Sage on behalf of the state government; 

 Doctor Francis Lynde Stetson on behalf of the 

 people; the Honorable Charles D. Walcott, 

 speaking as a representative of science in its 

 broadest sense, and Director John M. Clarke 

 on behalf of the museum. 



In the evening the principal address was by 

 Colonel Theodore Eoosevelt, who spoke under 

 the title " Productive Scientific Scholarship," 

 and gave an interesting speech to a large audi- 

 ence. Colonel Eoosevelt was introduced by 

 Governor Charles S. Whitman, who very 

 happily set forth the value of the research 

 work of the scientific corps attached to the 

 museum. The evening exercises were felic- 

 itous and successful throughout, and were fol- 

 lowed by a reception in the halls of the mu- 

 seum. Colonel Eoosevelt's address on this 

 occasion, or the part of it that related espe- 

 cially to his scientific theme, has been already 

 printed in Science, and all the addresses of 

 the occasion will be published as a bulletin of 

 the university. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 



Professor Frank D. Adams, of McGill Uni- 

 versity, has been elected president of the Geo- 

 logical Society of America. Dr. Charles P. 

 Berkey, of Columbia University, continues as 

 acting secretary, in the absence in the Arctic 

 regions of Dr. E. O. Hovey. 



OrriCEES of the Mathematical Association 

 of America elected at the New York meeting, 

 on December 29, are: President, Florian 

 Cajori, Colorado College; Vice-presidents, 

 Oswald Veblen, Princeton University, and D. 

 N. Lehmer, University of California; Secre- 

 tary-treasurer, W. D. Cairns, Oberlin College; 

 Members of the Council to serve until Janu- 

 ary, 1920: E. E. Hedrick, University of Mis- 

 souri; Helen A. Merrill, "Wellesley College; 

 E. E. Moritz, University of Washington; D. E. 



